The Dictionary of American Ceramics, 1945 onward
Dictionary of American Ceramics, 1945 onward
Printer-friendly version 
Printer version
Frank Boyden
1942 Born Portland, Oregon
EDUCATION
1965 BA Art Colorado College
1968 BFA and MFA Painting Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
PRIMARY WORK EXPERIENCE
1968—Studio artist
BIOGRAPHY
Frank Boyden was a painter before he began working with clay in 1968; then finally giving up painting in 1972 to give his full time to clay. His skills as a draftsman led him to explore ways to incorporate drawing on the surfaces of his pieces. From 1968 to 1981 he worked mostly with locally sourced glaze material and clays that are then thrown and low fired. Since 1993 he has worked only with porcelain on which he continued to perfect his drawing skills. The subject matter of the surface treatments on his work reflects his interests in his immediate environment.
Boyden is also known for his long-standing collaboration with fellow ceramicist Tom Coleman. Coleman threw vessels, including bowls and vases, and Boyden drew, carved into and manipulated the surfaces, often depicting animals such as fish and birds; theses pots were mostly wood fired.
In 1984 Boyden, Tom Coleman and Nils Lou built the sixth Anagama kiln in America. He spent the next 30 years perfecting the discipline of wood firing at high temperatures.
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Albuquerque Museum of Art, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Alfred Ceramic Art Museum, Alfred University, Alfred, New York
American Museum of Ceramic Art, Pomona, California
Arabia, Helsinki, Finland
Ariana Museum, Geneva, Switzerland
Arizona State University Art Museum, Tempe, Arizona
Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
Boise Art Museum, Boise, Idaho
Charles Chu Asian Art Reading Room, Connecticut College Library, New London, Connecticut
Coos Art Museum, Coos Bay, Oregon
Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, California
Davidson Art Center, Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut
The Evergreen State College, Olympia, Washington
Grimmerhus Ceramic Museum, Fyn, Denmark
Hallie Ford Museum of Art, Willamette University, Salem, Oregon
Harlow Collection, Bemidji University, Bemidji, MN
Hatfield Marine Science Center, Newport, Oregon
Hult Center for the Performing Arts, Eugene, Oregon
Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon
J. Paul Getty Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California
Kinsey Institute, University of Indiana, Bloomington, Indiana
Knight Library, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon
Lake Oswego Public Library, Lake Oswego, Oregon
Lilly Library, Indiana University, Bloomington, Illinois
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California
Memorial Art Gallery, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York
Millersville University Art Galleries, Millersville, Pennsylvania
Museum of Contemporary Craft, Portland, Oregon
Museum of Decorative Arts, Riga, Latvia
Museo de Arte Costarricense, San Jose, Costa Rica
Newport Public Library, Newport, Oregon
New Mexico Museum of Art, Santa Fe, New Mexico
New York Public Library, New York, New York
Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art, Logan, Utah
Nordenfjeldske Kunstindustrimuseum, Trondhiem, Norway
Northern Arizona University Art Museum, Flagstaff, Arizona
Oregon Historical Society, Portland, Oregon
Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, Portland, Oregon
Oregon College of Arts and Crafts, Portland, Oregon
Portland Art Museum, Portland, Oregon
Pushkin Museum, Moskva, Russia
Racine Art Museum, Racine, Wisconsin
Reed College Rare Books Collection, Portland, Oregon
Skaelskor International, Ceramic Center, Denmark
Smith College Library, Northampton, Massachusetts
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Renwick Gallery, Washington, DC
Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois
Stanford University Library, Palo Alto, California
Stedelijke Musea, Museum of Fine Arts, Oostende, Belgium
Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma, Washington
Taideteollisuusmuseo (National Museum of Applied Art), Helsinki, Finland
Tongass Historical Museum, Ketchikan, Alaska
Topeka Public Library, Topeka, Kansas
University of Iowa Museum of Art, Iowa City, Iowa
Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England
Whitman College, Walla Walla, Washington
Willamette University, Salem, Oregon
Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Connecticut
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Allen, Lois. “Natural Acts,” Artweek (April 1993).
Armstrong, David W. On the River through the Valley of Fire, The Collaborative Ceramics of Frank Boyden and Tom Coleman, Pomona, CA: American Museum of Ceramic Art, 2008.
AMOCA. Coexistence with Fire: Wood-fired Ceramics by Frank Boyden, 1985-2007. Pomona, CA: American Museum of Ceramic Art, 2008.
Beach, Polly. “Passion and Knowledge through Clay,” Clay Times 9, no. 9 (2003).
__________. “Razor Wire Rim,” Studio Potter 28 (1997).
__________. “The Skin of the Pot,” Studio Potter 24 (1995).
__________ and Mike Riley. “Garden Environment,” American Craft (February/March 1993).
__________. “Building the East Creek Anagama,” Studio Potter (Summer 1985).
__________. “Common Ground,” Studio Potter 14, no. 1 (1985).
Campbell, Brett. “Center of Gravity,” Portland Monthly (November 2006).
Cantor, Allyn. “Frank Boyden: The Empathies,” Preview, Gallery Guide (November / December / January 2006).
Curtin, Barbara. “A Showcase for Oregon Art,” Statesman Journal, Salem, OR (July 11, 2010).
Davies, Terry. “Oregon Postscript 2007,” Ceramics Art and Perception no.68, 2007.
___________. “Drawing on Totemic Powers,” Craft Arts International no.14 (1988).
Fisher, Mary Pat. The Art of Seeing, second edition, New York, NY: Prentice Hall Publishers, 1990.
Francis, Kevin. “Frank Boyden ‘25 Years in Clay’,” Willamette Week (February 28, 1995).
Griffin, Jean. “Boyden and Soldner Build Heat Exchangers for Pottery Northwest,” Crafts Report (November 1982).
Harris, James. “The Kiln and Foundry Facility at Western Oregon State College,” Ceramics Technical no.2 (1996).
Harrington, Lamar. Ceramics in the Pacific Northwest: A History, Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press, 1979.
Hopper, Robin. The Ceramic Spectrum. Radnor, PA: Chilton Book Co., 1984.
Johnson, Barry. “Fires of the Anagama,” The Oregonian (June 1986).
Johnstone, Sandra. “Frank Boyden Workshop,” Ceramics Monthly (February 1991).
Lamberton, Daniel. “On the River through the Valley of Fire,” Ceramics Monthly 57, no. 3 (March 2009).
_______________. On the River through the Valley of Fire: The Collaborative Ceramics of Frank Boyden and Tom Coleman. Pomona, CA: American Museum of Ceramic Art, 2008.
Lane, Peter. Ceramic Form. New York, NY: Rizzoli International Publications, 1988.
Luckhurst-Lute, Elizabeth. Frank Boyden Workshop,” Ceramics Monthly (January 1995).
Mansfield, Janet. “American Ceramics,” Craft Arts (January 1985).
Minogue, Coll, ed. Impressed and Incised Ceramics, London, England: A&C Black, 1996.
Neugarten, Rachel. “Inspiring Repulsion,” The Oregonian (November 24, 2006).
O’Neill, Yvette. Frank Boyden,” Ceramica 6 no. 22 (1985).
Parks, Dennis. A Potter’s Guide to Raw Glazing and Oil Firing. New York, NY: Charles Scribner’s Sons Publishers, 1980.
Priester, Mary. “The Interactivators: Sculpture for TriMet WES Commuter Rail,” Portland, OR: Portland Art Museum, 2009.
Reich, Jeff. “Wood Spirits at Galleria Mesa,” Ceramics Art and Perception no. 6 (1991).
Sarson, Katrina. “Everybody’s Art: An Oregon Art Beat Special,” OPB Member Guide (May 2008).
Steinzor, Ben. Basic Ceramics. New York, NY: Prentice Hall Publishers, 1986.
Troy, Jack. Wood-Fired Stoneware and Porcelain. Radnor, PA: Chilton Books, 1994.
Wiggers, Namita. Unpacking the Collection: Selections from the Museum of Contemporary Craft. Portland, OR: Museum of Contemporary Craft, 2008.
Wright, Nancy Means. “American Craft,” Studio Potter (August 1984).
CV or RESUME: Click Here to Download
Citation: "The Marks Project." Last modified February 14, 2024. http://www.themarksproject.org/marks/boyden
